Bu si n ess In tel l i gen ce: Leveragi ng D at a to B et ter Man age yo u r B u si n ess D r i ve r s We Work Where You Work
A DEFINITION OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE Business Intelligence is defined as a collective term to describe tools that enable users to improve business decision making by using factbased support systems. Business Intelligence allows users to analyze large quantities of data by displaying the data in a user-friendly format 1. Data exists around every function of business: purchasing and procurement, the sales process, lead generation, finance and accounting, travel and human resources. The challenge lies in accessing the information in a way that is intuitive and nimble. While every industry has its own specific set of KPI s (Key Performance Indicators), the bottom line remains: companies are constantly challenged with increasing revenues, improving customer satisfaction and controlling costs. Taking advantage of existing data through effective Business Intelligence tools allows a company to take a deep dive into their business processes revealing both hidden revenue drains and potential efficiency gains. BETTER, FASTER DECISION MAKING Having access to key data points gives an organization the knowledge necessary to make accurate decisions. Every company collects information in a variety of ways, using a variety of interfaces and at countless touch points. Pulling this information from multiple sources, consolidating it, and gaining access to it is challenging, to say the least. And once the data is compiled, sharing it with the business can seem impossible. But, data visualization tools are available that present real-time data from multiple sources and can shine a spotlight on the metrics used to evaluate key factors that are crucial to the success of an organization. Data exists around every function of business. The challenge lies in accessing the information in a way that is intuitive and nimble. 1 Derived from a combination of sources including Financial Times (www.ft.com) and the Innovation Blog, Noise Between Stations (www.noisebetweenstations.com) PAGE 2
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND HOW TO TRACK THEM Key Performance Indicators (KPI s) are applied in business intelligence to gauge business trends and advise tactical courses of action. The data that drives the analysis of your KPIs can be looked at in two ways: A dashboard or a scorecard. While a scorecard presents the progress of an organization toward a specific goal over time, a dashboard reflects realtime data and shows an organization s status at a given point in time. The dashboard shows exactly what is going on in your organization TODAY and that specific point in time can be compared month over month or year over year. A dashboard can also be used to communicate headlines and messages to its audience. It presents convenient and quick results and access to real-time data. While we talk a lot about the data and the impact of that data, at the end of the day analytics is about giving people information so that those people can have an impact on the success of an organization, said Adam Binnie, global vice president and general manager of the Business Intelligence Solutions division at SAP. THE MOBILE WORKER S IMPACT ON THE BOTTOM LINE Employee mobility has changed the landscape of American business. Since the 1980 s when the term telecommuting was coined by Jack Niles while he was stuck in traffic in Los Angeles, the number of mobile employees in the U.S. has expanded exponentially and continues to grow. Now in its ninth year, the Runzheimer Mobility Benchmark Report highlights how organizations manage mobility costs and program management and trends in the mobile workforce. According to the 2015 Benchmark Report, over 50% of employees are considered mobile. 2 Business drivers are an important segment of this mobile workforce. Business drivers, typically in a field sales or service role, are front line employees and are usually the ones creating revenue in an organization. In order to drive revenue companies need to be merchandising, servicing, selling, or delivering something, connecting with people face to face, and meeting goals regardless of geography. This means you might have sales people driving to meet clients or service people driving routes. Sixty-one percent (61%) of survey respondents indicated they have a reimbursement program for the use of personal vehicles for business. 3 2,3 Runzheimer, 9th Annual Benchmarking Survey PAGE 3
MOBILE WORKERS DEMAND POWERFUL MOBILE TOOLS The number of mobile employees increases exponentially when the number of employees who rely on mobile devices like smart phones or tablets is considered - a whopping 67% of U.S. workers report using their mobile device for work. 4 These mobile workers demand access to critical business information 24/7 and it allows employees to be productive everywhere they choose to work - on the road, at the airport, at home, and even in the car. Use of mobile devices plays a key role in insight delivery by mobile workers. As this mobile workforce increasingly relies on their devices, they will demand up-to-the minute information on their business in an accessible format. As the mobile workforce increasingly relies on their devices, they will demand up-to-the-minute information on their business in an accessible format. THE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DASHBOARD In order to be digestible, data should be presented much like an online news source, entertainment site or sports site. Today s business intelligence dashboards don t require specific programming skill or database knowledge. The dashboards primarily feature the simplicity of drag and drop, graphical interfaces. Powerful visuals and dynamic interfaces are necessary to communicate to today s time constrained and mobile savvy audience. In addition, dashboards were rated the top priority for expansion and innovation in the BI Scorecard 2012 Successful BI Survey. 5 4 Source: Cisco IBSG, 2012 5 7 Top Business Intelligence Trends for 2013 ; www.informationweek.com; Cindi Howson, PAGE 4
The dashboard s rise to prominence is a confluence of next-generation technology along with recognition that BI must be aligned to business goals to be successful. says Cindi Howson, founder of BI Scorecard. MORE PEOPLE ACCESSING MORE INFORMATION As we ve discussed, Business Intelligence enables better decision making and allows organizations to anticipate problems sooner. While it could be a sign that companies are becoming more agile it could also be argued that the increase is a function of accessibility. An increased number of mobile workers combined with the availability of accessible metrics means that key performance indicators can be presented to anyone who can benefit from tracking them. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: IMPROVING SALES FORCE PRODUCTIVITY In today s markets, maintaining a competitive edge relies on leveraging data and cultivating a data driven culture. Great leadership is essential, but gone are the days when a sales manager could simply rely on his or her gut to make decisions about sales strategy. Relevant and actionable metrics must be continuously monitored and analyzed. A successful business intelligence dashboard can give the sales team the information they need to proactively correct problems and maximize opportunities as soon as they come up. It is a fact that whichever metric is most important to an organization s definition of sales success, most successful salespeople must meet prospective clients face-to-face to achieve results. This requires a high degree of mobility and a high degree of productivity in the field. Sales organizations must consider how well the company supports and enables employee mobility, and whether the field sales team has access to the tools and information they need to get things done more efficiently, regardless of where they are working. PAGE 5
Quantifiable metrics such as: number of prospects visits number of client visits frequency of visits amount of time spent with key clients are all examples of key success indicators. Unfortunately, these leading management indicators are difficult to capture and measure consistently unless you are using a robust business intelligence system to capture it. Mobile field productivity applications for iphone, ipad and Android devices help sales and service teams manage their daily activities and optimize their time on the road. Mobile apps allow the field sales force to capture expenses and receipts, automatically log trips and record mileage, access CRM records in the field, and build and manage daily itineraries. Data collection and a business intelligence dashboard gives visibility into the activities of a sales team at a glance to help determine if reps are spending the right amount of time with clients, or spending too much time in unproductive situations like drive time. TRIP INFORMATION ANALYSIS A business intelligence dashboard that helps assess client face time/ drive time ratios can help leverage trip information to identify program improvements. The data presented in real-time allows management to spot productivity gaps and close them quickly. Data should be filtered by standard elements such as calendar segments (year, quarter, month, week), as well as company-defined segments, such as territory, region, manager, department, division, job title, or even by top revenue-generating employees. A deeper dive into the trip information data can tell how far a sales team is driving, the number of trips taken and the duration of the time spent on the road compared to the time spent with the client. The most productive time spent is face to face with the client. Arguably, time spent in the car driving is a waste. Analysis of the driving habits of sales teams allows windshield time to be minimized and the active sales time spent with customers to be maximized. COMPLIANCE Most companies have policies in place to manage reimbursement of mileage and expenses. Another benefit of compiling key data points and presenting them in a dashboard format is that it allows management to govern adherence to policies through consistent monitoring. PAGE 6
VISIBILITY Perhaps most importantly, the best business vehicle intelligence dashboard will provide greater visibility into the business drivers locations, trips and behavior. It will help identify if the right amount of time is being spent at key clients to leverage field/driver activity for improvement. Key metrics and a brief example of how to use it include: Average mileage per driver Example: As part of your overall territory management strategy, use custom segments to determine where the most miles are being driven, and by whom, to help determine the why. Average trips per driver Example: Filter by top-revenue generating sales people to help determine team benchmarks and objectives for number of client visits. Average mileage per trip Example: Improve territory management by uncovering typical barriers to success, such as inefficient routes and territories that are too large, as indicated by above average mileage per trip. PAGE 7
Average travel duration windshield time Example: Determine where reps are spending their time. Below average travel durations could be a key indicator of success and is helpful when considering territory realignment strategies. Average meeting duration face time Example: As with average trips per driver, higher than average face time could be a key success metric, by which team goals and objectives are created. Stop/trip duration ratio of windshield time to face time Example: Don t just report where reps are spending their time, behind the windshield or in front of the customer analyze it. Comparing stop duration to trip duration allows a different and more effective way of determining how reps are spending their time. If it was discovered that the most successful reps spend twice as much time with the customer (stop duration) than on the road (trip duration), and the least successful reps spend half as much time in front of customers than on the road, territories and goals could be realigned and remeasured the following month. A robust business driver intelligence dashboard can help companies make smarter decisions about territories, policies, and personnel based on actual behavior and it allows benchmarking of activities of the most successful mobile employees for modeling and coaching others to the same levels of success. PAGE 8
INSIGHT AND GUIDANCE Founded in 1933, Runzheimer connects people, companies and their vehicles in ways that drive superior productivity and impactful business intelligence. We provide expertise, technology and world class customer service that empowers companies to move their businesses forward with confidence. As a result, our customers are able to better manage cost, reduce business risk and increase employee satisfaction in the mobile workplace. Runzheimer is the leader in workforce mobility programs, designing and delivering business vehicle programs, relocation information services and business expense solutions. We are highly renowned and recognized for our market leading service delivery focus, an integral part of our corporate culture. PAGE 9 info@runzheimer.com 800.558.1702 runzheimer.com